Influencer Marketing
What is B2B influencer marketing development? How can a proven influencer gain recognition?
If you have expert knowledge and experience that's in demand, plus you've already produced a compelling narrative that describes your 'lessons learned', then your next professional development task is to gain market exposure for your ideas and thereby connect with your target constituency.
The Technology, Media and Telecom (TMT) market has a significant upside opportunity for meaningful and substantive opinion-leading ideas that are offered by skilled practitioners. But where do you go if you want to discover how to become a 'recognized' subject matter expert online? You can’t learn it by going back to school. There is no webinar, nor a book with practical examples that you can follow. No worries, here is a proven approach.
How to Become a Recognized Influencer
I've created the following overview of the 10 steps required to help you create an online presence that will make you more valuable to your employer and significantly enhance your marketability as a professional digital and social media marketing practitioner.
Think of yourself as a Multimedia Content Producer. Better yet, imagine that you’re like the Associated Press – your content is so highly valued that it’s propagated across multiple sites.
Become a practitioner of Commercial Storytelling. Apply proven principles to be a recognized storyteller – transforming information into meaningful components of an overarching narrative.
Aspire to learn basic Search Engine Optimization. For most of our stakeholders, search is the starting point for discovery during their quest for guidance. Begin by reading the Google Primer.
Outline and describe your own specific Personal Brand identity. Distil the description to a few essential keywords that you will use in all your online site profiles. These key topics will define your value proposition – note, it’s not about your employer or job description. My Example
Create a Gravatar to help establish an online identity. You will use it to verify your global online professional persona. Other web sites may use it to enable you to post comments. My Example
Consider creating a Wordpress blog that’s just about you. Even if you don’t intend to write stories, use this presence to connect your Gravatar and other Verified Services. My Example
Complete all key sections of your Profile on LinkedIn. People who want to learn more about you will likely use Google Search to find the details. LinkedIn will be the first source. Identify your employer; include your primary keywords and disclosures in the Summary. My Example
Research and follow the most insightful thought-leaders. Observe the key trends online; create digests from subscribed RSS news feeds; start the day by scanning headlines; use Feedly reader.
Gain the confidence to contribute substantive comments. Weekly, offer meaningful insights to complement the content of others; use the email address in your Gravatar; backlink to the same primary website. Over time, become a known influencer of ongoing dialogue on your key topics.
Consider creating a Professional Portfolio to feature your work. Include long-form biographical content -- beyond the short profiles – and links to other examples of your thought leadership that are propagated throughout the web. Google Sites is free and easy to use.
Bonus Tips
Become certified for Digital Credentials, then add your 'badge' accomplishments. Here's my identity on the Credly site.
Aspire to be ranked as a top thought leader and influencer in your areas of expertise. Here's my profile on Thinkers360 that targets global brands. I'm recognized for Design Thinking, Cloud Computing, Fintech, and Blockchain thought leadership. Here's my Influencer interview with Onalytica.
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